Build your future with O*NET Online! Here it is folks, my absolute FAVORITE job search resource. I recommend this interests profiler to every career client I work with and to every college student that visits my office. I especially recommend this to folks who are considering a change of career or industry. Let’s talk about how O*NET can help you find the right job for you!
Onetonline.org is a career resource that prides itself in being “Your tool for career exploration and job analysis!” I was first introduced to O*NET as an undergraduate student that had no idea what I wanted to do for a career. I had just switched from a biology major to an English major, and was considering graduate school in a totally different area of study: communication. One of my mentors recommended that I take the interests profiler sponsored by O*NET to explore careers in more detail. This is the first resource I want to share with you today! In a future post, I will also go over how you can use O*NET to build your resume or help you prepare for a change of career by identifying transferable skills.
O*NET Interests Profiler
The O*NET Interests Profiler is similar to the career interests or career aptitude tests you may have taken in high school. It’s key function is to help you identify the type of work you would be interested in an enjoy doing. This type of profiler is great for folks taking their first step into career as well as those who are feeling stagnant within their current work and are looking for a change. Here’s how it works!
The O*NET Interests Profiler has 60 questions about different work activities. These could include anything from giving a presentation in front of a class to mixing concrete for a new sidewalk. Your task is to rank each work activity between strongly dislike to strongly like. It is important to remember that this interests profiler is about how much you would enjoy doing the work. You should NOT take into account whether you think you have the education or training for the work. You also should NOT consider how much money you think someone in that role makes or any other factors other than your own likes or dislikes.
Here is how I completed the first page of the interests profiler:
I had to remind myself frequently that this survey is only about what I like. For example, one of the tasks on the list is putting out forest fires. I initially ranked it as “like” because of course I want the forest fires to be put out! But I had to ask myself, would I like being the person there in the fire putting it out and found the answer for that was actually no! As another example, one of the questions was if I’d like to play a musical instrument. I don’t know any musical instruments, so I almost put “dislike” but then I reminded myself that even though I don’t know how to play a musical instrument, I’d really like to! So I instead rated it as a like.
Once you have gone through all sixty questions, you will be provided with your interests profiler scores. There are six categories and you will have a score for each. The higher the score, the more likely you are to enjoy jobs within that category. Here is my score:
The first time I took this test, I was surprised to find that artistic was my highest score. I do not play any instruments, I am not a good drawer, and I never got a lead in the school play. However, once I clicked in and read the description of the artistic category I was wow’d! Here is the description directly from O*NET:
People with Artistic interests like work that deals with the artistic side of things, such as acting, music, art, and design.
They like:
- Creativity in their work
- Work that can be done without following a set of rules
Even though I currently don’t work in a creative field such as acting or music, I realized I love opportunities to be creative in my work. I like doing graphic design for our marketing posts and I enjoy planning presentations and activities. Further, when I think of my personal life I LOVE the arts. I enjoy attending musicals, reading books, writing poetry, swing dancing, and attending jazz performances. I do genuinely LOVE all of these things which is why it scored so highly. For you, your top score could be the answer you are looking for, or, you could be like me and realize your top score will always be your passions, but you want those to be separate from work. When that happens, it’s time to look to your next highest score.
My second highest score is social. Here’s what O*NET has to say about this category:
People with Social interests like working with others to help them learn and grow. They like working with people more than working with objects, machines, or information.
They like:
- Teaching
- Giving advice
- Helping and being of service to people
I think you don’t even have to know me personally to think this one is spot on! I LOVE helping people figure out their academic and career goals, then achieve them. I love giving advice on resumes, cover letters, and beyond. I currently teach students about their career requirements and help them accomplish their graduation requirements. This category is a clear winner for me! (I have a secret theory this would have scored even higher if it weren’t for the questions about teaching in K-12, as I do not enjoy working with groups of kiddos as much as I enjoy working with college students!)
So what do you do with this information? Well once you go to the next page, you will be able to search different job zones within these categories. If it is your first time applying for work out of high school, you will likely choose Job Zone One – Little or No Preparation needed. If you have finished a degree or have been in the workforce for several years, you might move up to Job Zone 2 or 3. If you are just thinking about the future and what it takes to get there, then go right up to Job Zone 4 and 5! Based on your interests results and your chosen job zone, O*NET will recommend dozens of jobs for you.
As you can see, I was pretty excited to find Post-secondary education teacher and Career Counselor on my list, as I have worked as both! These roles were found in my job zone five, as they often require a master’s degree or higher. Check out each of the different job zones to see a variety of suggestions. Once you have one you’d like to explore more, click on the title to learn more about the role, training required, and the job outlook, all of which I will talk about in the O-Net part two article!
Thank you for stopping by my blog to learn more about O*NET Interests Profiler! If you want to take this assessment together and discuss your results, head over to my services page.
Tayler Mercil 